Select one or two important research topics in e-learning that most interest(s) you based on the readings. Share what topic(s) you chose for your literature review and Explain why you think the topic(s) you chose are important to you.
Topic
- How the design of online/blended course can affect students’ motivation/satisfaction and whether it can increase the likelihood of students taking another online/blended course?
Explanation
- The topic I chose is not only important to my myself but it is also important to my profession as an academic counselor, because gaining insight into student motivation and satisfaction will give educational institutions (as well as course designers) a better understanding of how courses can be strategically created to increase student enrollment and retention in online/blended courses. From my own experience working at a Community College, I have seen first-hand how poorly designed online/blended courses can decrease students’ success rates, which correlates to their fulfillment in the course and influences their future decisions about whether or not to enroll in another online course. Although there has been much debate about whether or not distance learning is effective and cost-effective, I believe a true understanding of student motivation/ satisfaction of an online/blended course can alleviate all those concerns, especially at the community college level because of the demographics of students its’ serves, as well as understand the implications of design on student motivation.
Peer-reviewed articles
- Ausburn, L. J. (2004). Course Design Elements Most Valued by Adult Learners in Blended Online Education Environments: An American Perspective. Educational Media International, 41(4), 327-337.
- Braun, T. (2008). Making a Choice: The Perceptions and Attitudes of Online Graduate Students. Journal Of Technology And Teacher Education, 16(1), 63-92.
- Koszalka, T. A., & Ganesan, R. (2004). Designing online courses: a taxonomy to guide strategic use of features available in course management systems (CMS) in distance education. Distance Education, 25(2), 243-256.
- McFarland, D., & Hamilton, D. (2005). Factors affecting student performance and satisfaction: Online versus traditional course delivery. The Journal of Computer Information Systems, 46(2), 25-32. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/232574331?accountid=10359
I like the fact that you are exploring something that is not important to you but is in your profession. I agree with you on this "I believe a true understanding of student motivation/ satisfaction of an online/blended course can alleviate all those concerns, especially at the community college level because of the demographics of students its’ serves, as well as understand the implications of design on student motivation". I think that no matter what grade motivation is a thing that you cannot ignore.
ReplyDeleteHi Diana,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment. Although I think grades (or assessments) are important, I also feel there are other factors that attribute to student motivation that might have been overlooked especially with regard to online learning. I think it is important for all of us (teachers, administrators, course designers, etc.) to explore all those factors that could make the difference between fostering an interactive learning community and a chaotic one.
Hi Melissa,
ReplyDeleteYou chose a very important topic that is related to your job! You narrowed your topic to a manageable/researchable level. I would like to know factors that impact students motivation in online learning.
The references you listed seem to be good and relevant to your topic.
I look forward to your literature review!
Baek
Thank you Professor Baek. I hope this topic brings something new to the table.
ReplyDeleteHi, Melissa - yes, we all need to know about how an ill-prepared e-Learning experience can discourage students. I, for one, will make to spend lots of time preparing a course and getting feedback before I plunge into full force in this area. So glad we have had a lot of great assignments but also peer review in our endeavors as part of our courses. Will look forward to your literature review.
ReplyDeleteThanks Margaret! I will try to post my review on this blog so other students will have access to it.
DeleteGREAT TOPIC! I think you picked a very important topic! Coming from someone who has taken quite a few online courses and has seen many different motivational techniques, I agree that by exploring this topic, we could potentially put many debates about online courses to rest.
ReplyDeleteThank you! Can you share what those motivational techniques are?
DeleteHi Melissa,
ReplyDeleteI think you chose a really good topic. We know that colleges are continuing to offer online courses at an increasing rate so I agree with you that it is important for us to understand what motivates students not only to sign up for these courses, but also to stay in the course and sign up for future online courses. Have you come across anything about teacher immediacy? I have done a lot of research on this topic in my master's program and have found that teacher immediacy has a huge impact on student motivation in face-to-face courses. It might be interesting to see how immediacy plays out in online courses. I found one article about this that might be of interest to you (sorry, I know it's late in the game):
Richardson, J.C. & Swan, K. (2003). Examining social presence in online courses in relation to students' perceived learning and satisfaction. JALN, 7, 68-88.
http://actxelearning.pbworks.com/f/10.1.1.119.9339.pdf
Thank you. I believe teacher immediacy has a huge impact on the satisfaction rate for students, but I have not done any work with it. I will definitely keep the article for future use.
Delete